Chapter 457

After hearing Leon’s words, the female journalist’s body couldn’t help but tremble violently. Her originally resolute soul was disturbed by this possibility, becoming unstable.

Alright, that question was spot on.

Glancing at the slightly wavering soul of the female journalist, Leon blinked instinctively before pulling out a charcoal pencil and began smearing her file.

Time passed bit by bit. After throwing out a deadly question, Leon didn’t continue speaking. The entire room was eerily silent except for the sound of the charcoal pencil tip scratching against paper and the faint breathing of the female journalist.

Inhale… exhale…

Scratch… scratch…

Inhale… exhale…

Scratch… scratch…

Unconsciously, the rhythm of Leon’s pen tip and the female journalist’s breathing merged in some strange way. First, the sound of the pen chasing her breaths, then gradually they started to synchronize.

By the end, it turned into the sound of the pen tip subtly teasing the female journalist’s breathing. Without realizing it, she began adjusting her own breathing rhythm subconsciously, following the scratching sound.

“Hey!”

Though she knew Leon was definitely “cooking” her, partly due to the coarse friction sound making her feel uneasy and partly because his question made her very uncomfortable, the female journalist finally couldn’t help but speak first:

“What exactly did you mean by what you just said?”

Finally, she’s hooked.

After hearing the female journalist’s words, Leon, who had been scribbling on the blank file paper for a long time and had already memorized half of “Yueyang Tower Inscription,” sighed in relief inside. He then closed the female journalist’s file and answered irrelevantly: “I’ve read all your files. The Aquarius Director seems to trust you a lot, so when he ‘creates’ those anomalous items, he rarely hides them from you, right?”

“…”

“Miss Nicole, whether or not you answer this question, I already know the answer.”

Pacing with the rhythm of the female journalist’s breathing, after writing “Worry before the world worries,” Leon calmly reminded her: “Moreover, regarding the Aquarius Director’s private mass creation of anomalous items, the Bureau has already reached a conclusion, sentenced him, and even hunted him down. Even if you admit it, it can’t be considered betrayal.”

Indeed…

After hearing Leon’s words, the female journalist bit her lower lip and softly hummed in agreement.

Good, the first question has been answered. Then the next set of questions won’t be an issue.

Successfully cracking the female journalist’s defenses slightly, Leon couldn’t help but curl his lips and continued to say:

“Since you’ve watched so many ‘experiments,’ do you think the process of obtaining anomalous items is somewhat similar to the ‘experiments’ conducted by Aquarius?”

“…”

Hearing Leon’s question, the female journalist clenched her fists slightly without saying anything, but the amplitude of her soul’s fluctuation began to increase uncontrollably.

The amplitude of this fluctuation… it seems she herself actually had similar doubts.

After observing the constantly swaying soul of the female journalist, Leon blinked thoughtfully but didn’t delve deeper into this topic. Instead, he took out another file and asked:

“Miss Nicole, do you know how many people have had their lives ruined over the years because they were chosen by the Aquarius Director as ‘experimental materials’ for creating anomalous items?”

“…”

“There are records confirming his involvement in about a hundred cases. There are more suspected to be his doing, several times more than that.

And these are still only the records of his relatively successful experiments. Those who failed to generate anomalous items but were still destroyed by him cannot even be found, with countless victims.”

Hmm? At this point, seeing the sudden burst of immense guilt in the silent female journalist’s soul, Leon couldn’t help but pause momentarily. He then quickly shifted the topic, swallowing the phrase “you might be one of them” that had almost slipped out and instead sternly questioned:

“After knowing all this, do you still want to keep his secrets?”

“…”

Looking at the increasingly shaken soul of the female journalist, Leon narrowed his eyes slightly. He discovered that this “loyal subordinate” of the Aquarius Director was unexpectedly quite conscientious, with a rather “pure” soul.

Purity is good!

Since she’s still a decent person, compared to provoking the relationship between her and the Aquarius Director, whipping her conscience might break through her defenses more easily.

After adjusting his “attack” plan, in order to dig up more information and quickly capture the Aquarius Director who keeps surviving like Voldemort, Leon decisively switched to the [Performance Master] badge. He stood up from his chair and angrily shouted: “I really want to punch you!”

Under the bewildered gaze of the female journalist, the previously “cowardly” Leon actually risked standing directly in front of her, holding his fists and angrily questioning: “You think the Aquarius Director has done you a favor, so you have to repay it, and as long as you repay it, you can die peacefully and guilt-free, even thinking yourself great before death, isn’t that right?

Tsk! You’re just a brainless idiot!”

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“…”

Squeezing out a deep breath, letting his face slowly turn red, “angrily” flushed Leon loudly proclaimed: “To tell you the truth, I am also a victim of the Aquarius Director’s experiments! If it weren’t for him, I could have lived a stable and happy life, without losing my original family, without joining the dangerous Clearing Bureau, without enduring so much pain, and certainly not bearing all this now!”

After apologizing to Anna in his heart, Leon recalled the “tragic future” shown to him by the Nightmare King, trying hard to brew emotions while trembling all over, extremely agitatedly shouting and scolding: “All of this is thanks to him; my life has been ruined by you guys!”

…

Could it be… keeping his secrets was truly wrong?

Looking at the gritted teeth, distorted face, white-knuckled hands, and trembling figure in front of her, with two parts resentment, three parts sadness, and five parts heart-wrenching pain in his eyes, the female journalist couldn’t help but be shocked.

Under the terrifying effect of the Gold-level [Performance Master], twelve hundred percent of suffering was forcefully transmitted through Leon’s expressions and body language, cutting into her heart like knives.

At this moment, the female journalist couldn’t recall that the person in front of her was actually a highly ranked nobleman, a life winner. Stunned by the enormous pain displayed by Leon, looking at the heavy sorrow in his eyes, she instinctively wanted to look away, but…

“Don’t turn away!”

Roughly grabbing the female journalist’s chin and forcibly turning her face back, the “painfully tormented” Leon stared fiercely into her eyes and gritted his teeth to ask: “Aren’t you fearless? If you’re not afraid of death, why can’t you look me in the eye?”

“I…”

Looking at Leon’s bloodshot eyes, tortured by wave after wave of guilt, the female journalist couldn’t help but weakly resist:

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry… But the director saved me, raised me, and helped me take revenge… I… I just…”

“You’ve taken your revenge, but what about mine?”

Hearing her words, Leon, with a face full of “deep hatred,” laughed bitterly in anger and furiously questioned: “Tell me! Whom should I seek revenge from? Who should I find?”

“I… I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

Looking at Leon, who was suffering unbearably and seemed to live in hell, the female journalist’s defenses were completely shattered. She lowered her head guiltily with red-rimmed eyes and whispered softly:

“Ask whatever you want to know, except for his whereabouts. Other messages, I… I can tell you everything!”